As a major naval base and shipbuilding centre, Kiel was an important strategic target for Allied bombers.
The city was attacked frequently, particularly on:
9 April 1941
3 August 1941
14 May 1943
13 December 1943
21 January 1944
24 July 1944
16/17 August 1944
27 August 1944
15/16 September 1944
9 April 1945
14 April 1945
3 May 1945
Kiel was hit especially hard on 16–17 August 1944, when about 900 tons of bombs were dropped; on 27 August, when about 1,900 tons fell; and on 15–16 September, when another 1,500 tons were dropped.
Thus, more than 4,000 tons of bombs struck the city and harbour within little more than a month.
Even in April and May 1945, near the end of the war, the U.S. Army Air Forces dropped nearly 2,000 tons of bombs on Kiel. About two thirds of the city was destroyed, while warships in the harbour — including Admiral Hipper, Admiral Scheer and Emden — were badly damaged or sunk.
A total of 2,263 people were killed in 90 air raids according to the figures cited here.
Report in a U.S. newspaper
